Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

तिथिनक्षत्रपर्वादि नापेक्ष्यं जाह्नवी जले । स्नानमात्रेण गंगायां संचिताघं विनश्यति

Transliteration

tithinakṣatraparvādi nāpekṣyaṃ jāhnavī jale | snānamātreṇa gaṃgāyāṃ saṃcitāghaṃ vinaśyati

Translation

जाह्नवीच्या जळात तिथी-नक्षत्र-पर्व आदींची अपेक्षा नाही; गंगेत केवळ स्नान केल्यानेच साचलेले पाप नष्ट होते।

Word by Word

• तिथि-नक्षत्र-पर्व-आदि: tithi, constellation, festival, etc.
• तिथि-नक्षत्र-पर्व-आदि: Karma (Object of ‘not to be depended on’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक) + नक्षत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (collective copulative; Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अपेक्ष्यम्: to be depended on/required
• अपेक्ष्यम्: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपेक्ष् (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अर्थः ‘to be required/considered’

• जाह्नवी: Jāhnavī (Ganga)
• जाह्नवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• जले: in water
• जले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• स्नान-मात्रेण: by mere bathing
• स्नान-मात्रेण: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः ‘स्नानस्य मात्रया/मात्रेण’ (Instrumental Singular)

• गङ्गायाम्: in the Ganga
• गङ्गायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन (Feminine, Locative, Singular)

• संचित-अघम्: accumulated sin
• संचित-अघम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संचित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘संचितम् अघम्’ (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• विनश्यति: perishes
• विनश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Present Indicative, 3rd person, Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśī-khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim hesitates with a calendar/astrological chart, then discards it and steps into Gaṅgā; dark smoke-like sins dissolve in the water; Gaṅgā shines as a timeless purifier.

Characters & Entities

• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Gaṅgā’s sanctity is presented as intrinsically purifying, independent of calendrical auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jāhnavī/ Gaṅgā as a tīrtha—especially within the Kāśī sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Simple bathing in the Gaṅgā (snānamātra) is said to destroy accumulated sin, without requiring special tithi/nakṣatra/parva.